Some tips on how to look like a serious pro photographer?

Question

What are your recommendations on fashionable clothing and accessories that will make me look the part of a serious pro photographer? Is a photo vest "in" these days? Does it help if I wear logos like National Geographic Society, Canon, or Nikon? Any ideas on how I should style my hair, should I grow a beard, have a pondering reflective look, etc..

GambitGrrl, I'm not interested in developing the portfolio. I just need to look more "pro".

Actor the suit is a great idea. Do you think it will clash with the photo vest? I think I might have to just carry the extra gear in a camera bag.

fhotoace you have heard that your first impression needs to be the best impression right?

Samurai I am not trying to fool anyone. I am trying to bring out the pro photographer that resides within. I just need a sharp looking outfit.

I like the idea of the rugged manly look of the press photographer. I can definitely see myself sporting that look and I can bring it out confidently. One more thing about that look is will women find it appealing? I was thinking of working out to build more muscle mass and getting clothes that are a size or two smaller to accentuate my musculature.

I obviously don't want to look like a bum and smell the part. Any recommendations on men care products like fragrances to round off the look. I'm talking about aftershaves and body sprays.I've seen commercials for AXE body spray. Will it draw women like bees to nectar?

Answer 1

There are really two basic types of pro photographers that would be seen in public and you should choose which one you want to look like before you determine your photographic style. These two styles are so different from one another that I will address them separately. It is up to you to decide which one makes you feel more professional, because when it comes right down to it, nobody but you will know which one is more comfortable for you. This is a frequently asked question in this section, so I hope you do not mind if I use one of my standard boilerplate answers as I think you will find most of the information is completely useful for your needs.

Press photographer:

First, stay awake for at least 24 hours before being seen in public. Do not shave for at least 48 hours, but do not exceed 72 hours visible growth. Carry two cameras with lenses attached. If will not matter if they both function or not, since you are only have the second body for the sake of appearance. It should at least resemble a 35 mm SLR, though, so it is large enough to hang by a neck strap. Carry a gadget bag instead of wearing a vest. Keep the strap just short enough to make it look uncomfortable, but you will actually be able to use it to stabilize your elbows during a shot in much the same way as one would use a rifle sling to stabilize the barrel the old fashioned way. Vests were helpful when film was king, but how many spare memory cards are you going to stash in a vest anyhow? You would have to put soda cans inyour pockets to make the thing look suitably full and it's just not worth it. With a gadget bag, you can get the straps tangled as everything hangs from your neck and you will look busy without even moving a muscle. You can also carry lunch and some Diet Coke or Red Bull in the gadget bag. You can buy a small insulated bag to put inside a proper photographer's gadget bag to keep them cool. These insulated bags are available anywhere, but my recommendation is that you use Yahoo! Shopping guide. Click on "Bags" and then "Insulated" and you will find a good one. Buy a LowePro or Domke camera bag, but cover up the brand with duct tape. Put at least a 200 mm zoom lens on your main camera, like a 70-200 or 18-200, although the 70-200 is bigger, so it's better. 70-300 is even better. Use logo gear, like a strap, but if you want to look like a pro, take a black permanent Sharpie and black out the brand name. Wear a baseball cap from a sporting event or a sports team, but not a camera company. Look harried and confused.

Portrait photographer:

Ask fhotoace to fine-tune this suggestion, but dress is casual but neat. Dockers pants are prefered, but L.L. Bean are acceptable. An Izod polo top is preferred, but Brooks Brothers is acceptable. My choice is a tan top, but navy is acceptable. Sand pants, but khaki is acceptable. Do not wear socks unless you think they provide some value in protecting the expensive inner soles of your expensive shoes, which should be docksider-style shoes. Clarks are preferred, but Sebago is acceptable. You will find others here who have a strong preference for the khaki L.L.Bean pants, navy Brooks Brothers polo, and Sebago shoes and I can not argue with them. Many of them will also wear socks. Once you have arrived at wearing this level of clothing, your comfort is probably as important as the actual label on the clothing. If you don't feel good, you don't look good, and if you don't look good, why would anyone hire you to take their picture? Looks are everything, so go to a fine clothing store and try on various brands and colors to see which one feels best to you. These are the clothes that you should buy, as long as you do not leave the core group of brands mentioned above. It's the same as the Nikon vs. Canon debate. You can have no more than 2 days growth of facial hair, but if you do not have that exact amount, you must shave clean before appearing in public. One camera is all you ever carry and the strap should be absent or dangling. The camera should have a battery bulge like a Nikon D2Xs or one of the Canon Mark's. A strobe is required, especially on bright sunny days. If you have more equipment than that, an assistant is required. It doesn't matter how your assistant dresses, so long as it is not quite up to your level, as YOU are supposed to be the best looking person at the shoot.

Your assistant should have your equipment loaded into a cart with large pneumatic tires. These tires are essential, because have you considered how very likely it is that you will be traversing rough terrain which would subject your equipment to excessive vibration? How are you going to control that vibration? The pneumatic tires have a built-in shake reduction capacity that will make it possible to go over the bumps without shaking your equipment. They are also good for navigating on the sand, if you are doing a beach shoot. Because of their broad contact patch, you will find that they are very well suited to equipment cart stabilization.

If this information is not adequate for your needs, please click on the pencil icon and "Add details" to let us know how we can be of further assistance.

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ADD'L
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Women are drawn to rugged men dangling cameras around their necks like wasps are drawn to gold jewelry. Telephoto lenses are a great asset, because they are sure to be impressed with the size of your lens. As far as the fragrance, don't axe me because I don't know and I won't answer a question that I don't know anything about. Usually.

Answer 2

I am also an amateur- but I just purchased the Nikon D3000, it is a great camera so far. It has an excellent guide menu that teaches you how to use the settings on the camera. This has been a huge help in giving me knowledge on how to properly use this device. Advice: Anyone can be a photographer if they have an eye for beauty and can capture the moment. Work hard, and dont give up! Good luck!

Answer 3

You want to look professional, first you must be.

You must be different from the 5million other pros, pretenders and wanna b’s

Wear a large black pirate hat; you can do a pirate roar as well that’s up to you.
I do it and I like it, like all skills it does take practice its not easy.

Always wear a vest, a black string one with no shirt or under garments, put the patches over your private areas, get some sponsors, Nikon and cannon will properly pay you quite a lot. Lycra bike shorts are good they accentuate your figure.

Portfolios are for wanna b’s when your good just the mention of your name on the wind will have buyers at your door waving cash.

If you get some clown from National Geographic saying you got to show him some snapshots or something, go to a second hand book shop when no ones looking rip some pictures out of some magazines, (doctors waiting rooms are good too) then scan them and email them, if the fool says anything other than your first retainer payment is on the way, just blame your email provider and tell him you will take cash in advance.

I can see you look good enough as you are, you know don’t go changing. Buy some hormonal spray or something so the ladies won’t hassle you (lion’s urine is good).

As for looks expressions et cetera practice them all a good pensive look is always handy.

Do weddings (no one thinks of doing them!)
They are great lots of free drinks (hide a small bottle of Johnnie Walker red label in your pants at the ceremony). Have a few Wines for breakfast bike to the church.

People Skills are important!

If they want any special pix just tell them you don’t do requests you’re not a D.J. Then remind them how important you are, how lucky they are to have you, fly of into a rage and stomp your feet. Be impersonal avoid eye contact grunt fart and roar but don’t let them think you are a soft touch.

Bike pants are a very professional look (don’t wear normal underwear, buy the latest camouflage underwear its brown at the back and yellow at the front, don’t require washing for months) Bike pants not only show you care but look good and if you hide things in them it makes you look more manly.

Oh yeah don’t worry about fancy stuff like exposure, lighting, flash, F Stops, taking speed, all that rubbish. Use (a camera, might not have enough storage on your cell phone) disposables, the film ones they are cheap. Take at least one, when your drunk and fall over it wont break like an expensive digital camera.

Get full payment up front, photos are very subjective you don’t want to shot off a few snaps grope the bride make love to the brides mother fall on the wedding cake and have the client turn around and say they think the photos are not good enough.

Answer 4

in my experience, most people don't look at anything but your equipment and your business card or press badge. Obviously, your portfolio is the most important to getting a job, but after that it's all about how you look.

I would say that if you are shooting a public event or something along those lines and looking for some space to shoot in... bringing your biggest lenses and wearing a badge around your neck are the easiest ways to "look pro". Again, obviously, all of that illusion can disappear in an instant if someone wants to look at your photos and they are awful.

Oh, a shirt with a collar is always a good step towards making people feel better about your presence, but then again... who cares what people think if you are taking top-notch photos. And with that said, I have a photo gig in Miami tomorrow afternoon, and I will be #$*&ed if I am going to wear a collared shirt. A thin, clean, white t-shirt and some khaki shorts will be what I'm wearing.

Answer 5

What an interesting question!! Is there a 'serious pro' look?

Most photographers that I see working appear to be functional, rather than fashionable.
- Clothing that doesn't restrict movement but provides adequate protection. Colours that don't distract the subject(s).
- Load carrying equipment that protects their equipment, but is also relatively easy to access and also easy to move.
- Gear matched to the circumstances. You don't need all your gear all the time.

Etc etc. If they take good photographs because they have looked at function, rather than fashion, then that functional approach might be fashionable.

(Sorry about that last one - I just couldn't resist. I hope you all will forgive me :-)

Answer 6

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Answer 7

banana republic has a lot of neutrals, cargo style pants with plenty of pockets, vest etc. All are very professional.. AS far as hair, it's best to go with a clean cut look. If you go more trendy it can limit your clientelee. You may also want to target market people (will limit clientel) with target marketing u can dress yourself accordingly. Best of luck

Answer 8

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Answer 9

you're kidding right?

LOL!
my dad is a pro photographer...and he just laid down in about 3 inches of bird poop to get a proper photo of a baby barn owl!!!

he also, looks like george costanza from seinfeld, but thinner and he doesn't give a crap about his "attire".
he dresses to stay warm in the winter (he'll sit in his blinds for hours to get pics of winter birds, deer, etc) and he dresses cool for the summer when he goes kayaking for waterfowl etc.

wear something that has lots of pockets for odds and ends and he tapes all of his tripods and gear with camo tape to it helps to blend in.

here's a link to his profile on model mayhem.
he does nature photography, but also does nudes and some more artistic stuff.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/results.php?group_id=2&country=US&state=Any&dist=5&zip=&sort=joined_time&display=detail&namesearch2=patrick+brezler&age_from=1988&age_to=1956&gender=Both&from_feet=3&from_inches=0&to_feet=7&to_inches=11ðnicity_id=Any&skin_color_id=Any&hair_color_id=Any&hair_length_id=Any&eye_color_id=Any&test=&searchtype=profile&submit=Search

you might have to copy and paste that one.

i'm sure if you reach out to him, he'd be more than happy to mentor you in any way.
he's won countless contests, been published for his articles and images, has done weddings and portraits with models, you name it, he's done it!

take care

Answer 10

While your appearance is important, what really makes you look like a pro is your portfolio.

If I'm looking for a good photographer, he could be the most hansom man on the planet, but if I don't like his photos, I won't hire him!